Chiefs' Justin Reid thinks New Orleans is perfect, just like K.C.'s 2022 draft class

New York Times

06-02-2025

Meet Justin Reid, New Orleans tourism Chief.
The Kansas City safety stands as the one player on the roster with the closest ties to the Super Bowl LIX host city, even though his Prairieville, La., hometown is about a 45-minute drive from the New Orleans area. Still, Reid spoke about the area as if he worked for the city's hosting committee Thursday.
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'First and foremost it's a warm-weather city. … I think that the city, with the central location of the Superdome and also where all the action is, it makes it conducive to hosting a large-scale event,' Reid said. 'The Sugar Bowl is here every year. The setup for it is convenient for organizations to be able to do this. So year in and year out, New Orleans always has big events and it can handle the foot traffic for it.'
Because of the proximity to his hometown, Reid said the ticket requests have been bigger than any of the other Super Bowls he's played in with the Chiefs.
What also makes this a unique setting for Reid is that he's playing his first championship game of his life in New Orleans. Louisiana's high school state championship games reside in the Superdome and Reid's high school (Dutchtown) never advanced far enough during his prep days to play in the Dome.
'We had two undefeated regular seasons and unfortunately an early exit in the first round,' Reid said. 'So I think my senior year we might have got to the second or third round. But never close enough to play in the Dome.'
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One aspect that's caught Reid's attention this week is the amount of security that's surrounded the team in response to the New Year's Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.
'I mean our escort, I've never seen an escort so much in my life,' Reid said. 'Taking us to and from Tulane, the security presence here in the hotel. … it's maybe 50 police motorcycles and another four or five squadron cars. I mean these guys are lining the street both ways like 78 lanes down blocking off all the intersecting traffic and they get us in pretty quickly. This is my third Super Bowl and the security is more than I've seen in the past.'
The attack that killed 14 bystanders early New Year's Day morning still sits with Reid.
'Horrible, terrible,' Reid said. 'I remember seeing it on the news not believing that it was real. It's just such a tragedy. The response has been awesome, but you hate to see things like that continue to happen and hopefully we can just stop having (these incidents).'
Two years ago, safety Bryan Cook remembers having an equal amount of nervous energy and eager excitement before his first postseason game with the Chiefs. In 2022, Cook was a starter who went through a memorable rookie season, one that ended with the Chiefs becoming Super Bowl LVII champions.
'Both of them were good,' Cook said of his emotions in January 2023. 'You're trying not to mess up. As the game goes on, you (realize that) just do my job and we'll walk away with a win — and we did. That builds confidence.
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'If we all play together as one, we can get this thing rolling. I blinked and we were in the Super Bowl. It was a surreal moment, that it happened so fast. I'm very appreciative of those times.'
Just reminiscing Thursday made Cook laugh. He and the rest of the major contributors from the Chiefs' 2022 draft class — All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive end George Karlaftis, linebacker Leo Chenal, running back Isiah Pacheco and cornerback Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Nazhee Johnson — haven't experienced a postseason loss.
The Chiefs have won nine consecutive playoff games since general manager Brett Veach traded receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a package of five draft picks and the following month put together one of the most impressive draft classes in the franchise's history.
'I don't think they've known what they've done,' Reid, a seven-year veteran who joined the team in 2022, said of his younger teammates. 'I think they know they're a part of something special, but it's truly historic. They've never known a loss in the playoffs.'
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One reason the Chiefs have arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX is that the players from the 2022 draft class have all improved from role players they were as rookies. McDuffie is the Chiefs' second-best defender, Karlaftis leads the Chiefs in the postseason with three sacks and Chenal and Watson have become reliable starters.
If the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, they'll become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three consecutive championships. Cook and the rest of his teammates from the 2022 draft class would also create NFL history. They will be the first group of players to start their career with 10 consecutive postseason victories and three Super Bowl rings.
'The foundation that was set for them, they've absorbed it and now, being in their third year, continue to set the precedent for the new guys coming behind them,' Reid said. 'It's been tremendous for the organization. Hopefully they look back on this and truly understand the depth of how cool it is of the things they're doing.'
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You know it's the end of the Super Bowl media blitz when a player wants in on the question-asking action. Or maybe Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy got confused Thursday.
Worthy jumped up from his table and worked his way through the media throng in front of fellow wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Worthy's question may have been simple: What's it feel like to come back and just play for another Super Bowl?
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But Smith-Schuster showed he's media savvy by buttering up the 'reporter.'
'It's a blessing, man,' Smith-Schuster said. 'It's awesome to be back here with the guys. Being around a guy named Xavier, man, it's been cool, man. One thing I like about (him)? Hey, Xavier, he's fast. He runs down the field really fast, opens up the middle of the field.'
(Top photo of Matthew Wright and Justin Reid, right: Denny Medley / Imagn Images)